Foot-guard for shovels



(No Model.)

G. PAGE.

FOOT GUARD FOR SHOVELS.

Patented Mar. 26, 18951.

0, WASHlNGYON n c.

A UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

FOOT-GUARD FOR SHOVELS.

srEcIFrcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,230, dated March 26, 1895.

Application filed May 25, 1894. Serial No. 512,422; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT PAGE, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Foot-Guards for Shovels, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to devise a foot-guard for application, upon the upper edge portion of a shovel which shall entirely, of itself, constitute the means of attachment depending in no way upon any special or peculiar formation of shovel, nor requiring the employment of any tools or appliances; and to these ends the invention consists in a foot-guard constructed substantially as will hereinafter ful-ly appear.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the guard as applied upon the shovel. Fig. 2 is V a side view of the shovel,with its blade in section,and the applied foot-guard inedge elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the guard.

The foot-guard comprises the guard-plate, A, and the paired prongs, a, a. The plate may be of an approximately rectangular form with rounded corners, although in design it is, as seen, suitably curved to generally conform to the contour of the edge of the shovel blade which it overlies. This plate is preferably of malleable or wrought iron, and of sufficient thickness to be durable and to withstand the foot-thrusts thereupon. The pairs of prongs,a, a, have their projection from the bottom of the plate at substantially right angles to itsface, and they have positions one in advance of the other, in extent approximately though somewhat greater than the ordinary thickness of shovel blades. The prongs, while somewhat stocky and massive, have, as to one at least of each pair, spring capabilities for reaction, the one toward its fellow, to insure the retention of the guard I on the shovel. As shown each front prong is straight, while each rear prong is longer than the front one and forwardly concave so that when the guard is crowded upon the upper edge of the shovel it is done against the spring resistance of the rear prongs which, in reaction, press firmly against the rear of the blade and establish relations of close contact between the front face of the blade and the front prong.

The prongs may be separately formed and attached to the plate by having short shanks as continuations of their upper ends which are entered through perforations in the plate and upset or riveted against the top of the latter.

1 am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to apply a guard plate to the upper edge of a shovel, the same being held in place by the joint effect of a spur to be forced down into the wood at the base of the handle, of a lug through which a screw is passed sidewise into the shovel handle and of several short lugs at the base of the plate merely for the purpose of preventing transverse displacement,and to apply to a shovel-blade, at its upper edge, a horizontal plate, or plates, having lugs thereon whereby they are riveted to the shovel blade, or to apply to such blade a plate made in one piece with front and rear terminals thereon, through which terminals and the shovel blade rivets are put to secure tially as described.

c. PAGE.

Witnesses:

H. A. QHAPIN, WM. S. BELLoWs. 

